


Steve’s Life is Average: A Series of Vignettes About the Life of One Steve Rogers, Age 15

by tinkertoysdamn



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-06
Updated: 2013-04-06
Packaged: 2017-12-07 16:50:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/750796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinkertoysdamn/pseuds/tinkertoysdamn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Answer to a prompt on <a href="http://norsekink.livejournal.com/3415.html?thread=8174167#t8174167">norsekink</a>.  Avengers High School AU.  Steve is a typical teenager.  Loki is his babysitter.  Tony is his stalker.  Steve's life is average.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote 19 pages of a high school AU. What the what?

“Is that chili con carne?”

Steve sighed; Phase One of the daily lunchtime ritual had begun.He looked back over his shoulder to see Tony Stark, the richest kid in school, eyeing his Tupperware container.

“Yes,” Steve answered.It was eerie how Tony always seemed to know what he was bringing for lunch.

“Hamburger or turkey?” Tony asked.

“Turkey.”

Tony nodded.“Right, ‘cause you’ve been on the health kick.”

Steve just stared at the older student.God, Tony was weird.He never actually talked to Steve but seemed to know a lot about him.

“So—“ Tony held out his hand.

Steve handed Tony his lunch and watched as Tony ran off to claim his usual table at the other end of the cafeteria.Once he was situated, Phase Two of the daily lunchtime ritual began.

A delicate cough brought Steve’s attention to Tony’s minions, Pepper and Rhodey.They silently handed him bits from their own lunches then made their way over to Tony’s table.Steve used to feel guilty about them giving up their lunches, but then he discovered that Tony would just give them his food so no one ever starved.Really, the whole thing was just ridiculous.

Steve tucked into the offered food, hoping that one day Tony would come to his senses and just leave him alone.  
  
****  
  
“You are a pathetic human being,” Pepper said, poking at the elaborate meal Tony’s chefs had prepared for him.

“Completely pathetic,” Rhodey agreed.

“For over a year you have been stealing that poor boy’s lunch and you can’t even manage to say more than a few words to him,” Pepper said.“You are pathetic.”

“I can’t help it, Steve’s an amazing cook.”Tony took a bite of chili con carne and grinned with happiness.“Have you tried any of this?”

Rhodey rolled his eyes.“Tony, how do you even know that it’s his cooking?”

Tony smirked, which looked positively evil with the scraggly goatee he was growing out.“I have my sources.”

Just then Tony’s cell vibrated in his pocket.He pulled it out, scanned the screen then began texting a message back at the speed of light.

Although used to this sort of behavior, Pepper still found it insufferably rude.“What are you doing?”

“Telling Loki to buy some apples and some other ingredients,” Tony said.

At his friends’ blank stares he continued.“Steve’s Dad is going away for the weekend and sometimes when Steve gets depressed he bakes.So if Loki gets the ingredients then Steve might make those mini apple pies that are so good.Maybe if Loki can get Thor to suggest it—“ Tony kept mumbling to himself as he continued typing.

Rhodey and Pepper shared a look of contempt at Tony’s obvious failure at life.

“Seriously Tony, this is really unhealthy,” Rhodey insisted.“Just talk to the guy.”

Tony snorted at the suggestion.“Don’t worry Rhodey, I’ll totally make it up to him on his birthday.”

“How?”

Tony finished his text message and switched to his music app.A second later Pepper and Rhodey were horrified to hear the less than dulcet tones of “Birthday Sex” piping out from Tony’s phone.

“Tony, you cannot offer birthday sex to someone you’re not even dating!” Pepper hissed under her breath.

“Peps,” Tony said in that condescending tone of voice that would get him punched in the face if he wasn’t only seventeen, “I’ll have him eating out of the palm of my hand.”

*****  
  
Steve walked home from school, kicking at the tiny rocks that always seemed to litter the sidewalk.After lunch the rest of the day had been thankfully uneventful.He had a short paper to write for Mr. Barton’s class, but he didn’t think it would take very long.This meant he had most of the weekend ahead of him.

He thought about going to the park to sketch or catching a movie, maybe calling some friends—

Then he saw the all-too familiar sight of a black Ducati with lightening painted on the side sitting in the driveway.

Damn it, Dad was away again.

Steve steeled himself for the inevitable and pushed his way through the front door of his father’s modest one-story ranch house.There on the couch were two guys making out.This was also an all-too familiar sight.When Steve slammed the door, two heads poked up and looked at him.

“Hello, Steve Rogers!”Thor Odinson, a huge blond hulk of a man, waved at him from the couch.His broad grin was genuine and he obviously felt no shame at having been caught making out with his boyfriend.“How was your schooling today?”

“It was all right,” Steve said.“Tony took my lunch again.”

“Doesn’t he take your lunch every day?” the other male asked, his eyebrow raised in contempt.

There were days when Steve couldn’t stand Loki Laufeyson.“Where’s Dad?” Steve asked.

“At a conference,” Loki said, standing up and trying to make himself respectable.It was a little difficult considering he had to re-button his khakis.“I’ll be taking care of you all weekend.”

Damn it, damn it, damn it.

Steve went to the kitchen and set his backpack down on the breakfast bar.“I’m old enough to take care of myself,” he called out.

“I know that and you know that, but it’s still your father’s decision,” Loki agreed.

It was difficult sometimes to determine if Loki was being sincere or if it was just carefully hidden sarcasm.“Right, ‘We’ll revisit the issue on your sixteenth birthday,’” Steve quoted his father’s refrain on the issue.

“It’s only four months away,” Loki reasoned.“I’m certain you can stand your father giving me extra income until then.”

Steve’s lip curved into an unwilling smile.“You’re right, I shouldn’t get mad at you.You’re just doing what Dad wants.”

Loki reached out and ruffled Steve’s hair.“That’s a good boy.”

Steve ducked away from the teasing hand.“I’m only two years younger than you.”

“Yes, and I’m old enough to vote,” Loki said.

Steve sighed, he couldn’t wait; eighteen seemed like a magical, mythical time when he’d have some more control over his own life.But he still had over two whole years before then, practically an eternity.

He opened his backpack, fishing for his sketchbook when he noticed the bag of apples sitting on the breakfast bar. Next to them was a bag of flour, some vanilla and a few other baking ingredients. The hint was about as subtle as a Mac truck driving through the living room. “Someone had a craving for apple pie?” Steve asked.  
  
Thor peeked out from over the couch back, a sheepish grin on his face.“The little ones,” Thor said.

“Depending on how much homework you have,” Loki said with a frown.

There was a reason Nicholas Fury trusted his son with Loki, the older student always made sure Steve’s studies were in order.

Steve didn’t mind the inquest or the request for pie.“I just have a paper for Mr. Barton.”

“A paper for P.E.?” Loki asked, surprised.

“On the benefits of one type of exercise.Just a couple of paragraphs,” Steve explained.

Loki snorted, “That won’t take you long at all.”

“Then I can assist with the pies!” Thor shouted, much too exuberant at the prospect of pies.

Loki and Steve shrank back in horror.The last time Thor had tried to assist with cooking, he had set a fire in the kitchen.“No, I can assist Steve,” Loki said, “you can order the pizza.”

“Excellent!”Thor reached for the phone, “Pepperonis for all!”

Loki snarled and ran to tackle his boyfriend.“We don’t need to order for another two hours!”Loki could move surprisingly fast when he wanted to.

Steve sighed; he would go find a quieter spot to work on his paper.

*****  
  
The Next Day

Steve sat at the food court table, sketchbook open.As he put the finishing touches on a drawing of a man wearing both socks and sandals, he noticed his friend Bucky finally arriving.

“Hey Steve, didn’t think you’d get out of the house this weekend.Isn’t your Dad out of town?” Bucky asked, greeting Steve with the “bro-fist.”

“Yes, but Loki’s got ‘business’ at the mall,” Steve said making air quotes with his fingers.

“Is that some sort of secret code for shopping?” Bucky asked.

“No idea.”Steve shrugged.“I just know I have about four hours of unsupervised freedom.”

“To the Smoothie Palace to hit on girls?” Bucky suggested, waggling his eyebrows.It was great to see Bucky again.Steve hadn’t spent much time with him since he had moved away.

Steve shook his head.“You mean you hit on girls and I stand there like a moron.”

“I don’t know if you’ve looked in the mirror Steve, but you’ve got a couple of new chick magnets in your arsenal.”Bucky punctuated his point by squeezing Steve’s biceps.

Steve flushed in embarrassment and jerked his arm away.“It’s just a growth spurt, Bucky.It’s not like I magically learned how to talk to girls.”Besides, the only girl Steve had really liked was Peggy, the exchange student from England.She hadn’t minded that Steve was scrawny and awkward.She had been amazing, but now she was gone and Steve hadn’t heard from her again.

“Just a growth spurt, Steve?”Oh god, now Bucky was mocking him.“Do you know how many people would kill to bottle your ‘growth spurt?’’

Steve hated talking about it.Up until last summer a stiff breeze could have knocked him over and now he felt like a freak in his own body.The one good thing about it is that his Dad now had one less reason to object to Steve joining the military.

“Okay, we’ll go,” Steve said, hoping Bucky would drop the subject.

“Awesome.”Bucky hauled Steve to his feet and wrapped an arm around one very broad shoulder.“You will learn at the feet of the master, my son.”

Steve just groaned.This was going to be a long day.

*****

“Did you bring the package?”

Loki rolled his eyes and handed Tony the white cardboard box.There were days when he wondered why he was Tony Stark’s friend.

“Oh my god, he made them.”Tony flipped open the top of the box, he was full of eager anticipation.He looked over the pastries that awaited him, the sweet smell of apple and cinnamon wafting up to tickle his nose.Then he counted them.“Wait, why are there only two in here?”

“First, Steve didn’t make them for you,” Loki reminded him.“Second, I had to wrestle them away from Thor.”

Tony let out an indignant snort.“All right, the only reason why I’ll forgive your boyfriend is because he introduced Steve to weight training.Sexy, sexy weight training.”Tony trailed off with a goofy grin.

Now Loki remembered why he was Tony’s friend: moral superiority.“You shallow moron.”

“Not that shallow,” Tony protested.“Before, I thought Steve was a sweet, generous guy who I wanted to bang like a screen door.Now I think Steve is a sweet, generous guy I want to bang like a screen door who is also ridiculously hot.”

Loki squawked in protest, and placed his hands over his ears.“I did not need to hear that!”

“Are you kidding?” Tony said, “It’s like I got a free upgrade I didn’t ask for.”

“Tony,” Loki shot the other teen a look that would have turned a lesser man into a sniveling ball of shame, “if you do not shut up in the next few seconds I will kill you.”

*****  
  
The Smoothie Palace had turned out to be a pretty good idea.Several girls from Steve’s school were there and they didn’t seem to mind Bucky’s flirtatious behavior.Steve was content to just sit and listen, making the occasional comment but not committing himself to the conversation. He wasn’t interested in any of them, although they were very pretty and quite funny.It was nice to be in the same room and not feel like a social failure.

“So what do you think about Mr. Coulson and Mr. Barton?” Jane, the head of the Science Club asked.

“Who are they?” Bucky asked.

“The principal and my coach,” Carol explained.She was blonde and athletic, the head of the Girl’s Basketball team.Steve thought she’d probably be Bucky’s type.“They got married a few weeks ago.”

Bucky was surprised.“Really?”

“My parents freaked out at first but I reminded them that Mr. Barton was one of the top coaches in the state and if they tried to transfer me I’d never speak to them again,” Carol said.

Steve couldn’t help but feel a little admiration for Carol.

Darcy, Jane’s BFF, rolled her eyes.“People can be so dumb.”

“What do you think, Steve?” Jane asked, nudging him.“The president of the Social Justice Club has to have an opinion.”

Steve could feel all eyes turning on him.He hated being the center of attention.“Well,” he said, “in this country we are guaranteed certain civil liberties.Marriage as an institution of the state is one of them.To deny two consenting adults this right is a violation of what this country stands for.”

There was a short silence as everyone digested this.

“So, in other words, you’re cool with it?” Darcy translated.

Steve flushed in embarrassment.“Yes.”

“You are just the cutest thing,” Darcy cooed, ruffling his hair.

Everyone laughed and Steve felt that he was on top of the world, like nothing could go wrong.Then he looked up and saw Tony Stark staring at him from outside the entrance to the store.

He was holding some sort of white box and he was just _looking_ at Steve.Steve couldn’t quite decipher the expression on Tony’s face, but he got the feeling that if Darcy touched him again she was going to die.

Steve turned an even deeper shade of red.Why did _he_ feel like he had just been caught doing something wrong?Tony was the weird one who stole his food and never talked to him.Steve was normal, perfectly normal.Bucky was the one flirting with the girls; Steve was just sitting there drinking a smoothie.

Just as Steve was starting to think Tony was going to rush in and steal his drink, he disappeared, weaving his way through the mall crowd.

“What was that about?” Bucky asked.

“I don’t know,” Steve said.For some reason, the fact that Tony didn’t come into the shop disappointed him.Tony could have joined them.Maybe Steve should have waved, made some sort of gesture to let Tony know it would have been okay.Well, it was too late now.Steve sighed; someday he was going to figure out what Tony’s problem was.

*****  
  
“Pepper,” Tony sounded frantic, “other people have started figuring out that Steve is hot!”

Virginia “Pepper” Potts rolled her eyes.Tony was interrupting her pedicure for this?“You’re surprised?It’s not as if it was a secret.”

“Pepper, this is serious.”

“Yes Tony, it is.”Juggling the phone and the bottle of nail polish was difficult, but she was going to be damned if Tony’s nonsense ruined her toenails.“If you’re scared that you’re going to lose your nonexistent relationship with Steve then you need to do something about it.”

Tony seemed to think about it for a moment.“Like, come up with a plan?”

“Tony, stop acting like a character in a John Hughes movie and just talk to him.”There, ten perfect little toes with ten perfect painted nails.“He can’t possibly be that scary.You’ve been stalking him for how long now?You know that boy doesn’t have a mean bone in his body.”

There was dead silence for a few moments.Pepper thought that Tony had hung up on her.

Finally he said, “I’ll take your advice into consideration.”CLICK!

Pepper needed to find some other way of expressing her displeasure than rolling her eyes.It couldn’t possibly be good for her.  
  
*****  
  
“Rhodey, Pepper just gave me terrible advice so I’m talking to you.”

Once Rhodey had seen who it was, he should never have picked up the phone.“What did Pepper tell you?”

“She told me to stop being a John Hughes character and talk to Steve,” Tony answered.

Rhodey didn’t even blink.It was the same advice that he and Pepper had been giving their friend for way too long.“She’s right, Tony.”

“About the John Hughes thing?”

“No, about the talking to Steve thing.”Rhodey shook his head.“It’s just starting to get embarrassing.Just get everything out in the open.If it works out, it works out, if not you move on.But just being in the same place is going to drive you nuts.”

“But I could lose everything,” Tony said.

Now Rhodey was just disgusted.“What everything?You barely even know him.“

Tony scoffed in protest, “I know plenty about Steve.”

“Everything you know has come second hand.You’ve never sat down and had a real conversation with him.For all you know, everything you’ve been told is a lie.”Rhodey hated laying into his friend like this, but Tony had needed a beating with the clue-bat for a long time.“You’ve built up this image of Steve in your mind that might have nothing to do with reality.All you really have to lose are your illusions.Just walk up to him and say, ‘Hi, want to go catch a movie sometime?’”

Rhodey hoped that he had finally gotten though to Tony, that this time he would see reason and do what needed to be done.

“Jeez Rhodey, your advice sucks too.”CLICK!

Or maybe not.


	2. Prt 2

Steve put the last of the dishes away from supper, only half listening to the conversation Loki was having on the phone.

“Yes Thor, I know you are very responsible, but I am not letting you take Steve for a ride on that thing,” Loki said. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, I just don’t trust every other moron out there on the road.”

Steve couldn’t hide the smile tugging at his lips. It was nice of Thor to think of him, but his Dad would have a conniption if he rode around on Thor’s bike.

“Hold on, I have another call.” Loki pressed the call waiting. “Steve, your sister’s on the phone.”

Steve was a little surprised. Natasha was supposed to be coming back from college for a visit next weekend. Was there a problem? “Hi, it’s Steve.”

“How is my darling baby brother?”

Steve could almost hear the fake smile over the phone. “I’m fine Natasha, but are you okay? You never call when Dad’s not around.”

Natasha chuckled on the other end of the line, voice full of fondness. “You know me too well.”

Steve waited.

“As you know I am a woman of many talents, but it turns out that physics is not one of them,” she explained. Natasha was majoring in political science and linguistics so it must have been a core requirement. “I know that you have some smart little science geeks at your school, do you think someone would like to earn a little money tutoring this weekend?”

“There isn’t anyone you can ask?” Steve asked.

“Unfortunately my fellow students don’t understand that physics is all I want to study with them,” Natasha said.

That explained it. 

Steve racked his brain. There was Jane from the Science Club, she was smart but had trouble translating her knowledge into human speak. There was the exchange student from Wakanda, but Steve didn’t know him very well.

Then there was Tony—

Tony would be more than equal to the task but Steve didn’t know if he’d be able to convince him to do it. “I’ll ask around,” Steve said.

“Thanks and can you not mention this to Dad?” Natasha asked.

Steve wished that Natasha wasn’t so afraid of disappointing Dad. She was great at what she did; she didn’t need to be perfect to earn his respect. “I won’t.”

“This is why you’re my favorite brother,” Natasha said.

“I’m your only brother.”

Steve could hear the smile in her voice. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll see you next weekend.”

“Bye, Sis.” 

Great, now he had to secure a tutor for Natasha by the weekend and he wasn’t sure he could manage an actual conversation with Tony. That meant asking for help. “Loki, you know Tony Stark, right?” Steve asked.

Loki raised an eyebrow. “I know of him.”

“Natasha needs a physics tutor for next weekend but she doesn’t want Dad to know so I have to make it look like he’s coming over to study with me,” Steve explained.

Loki snorted.

“I know it’s stupid but she has this thing—“ Steve said.

“And you want me to ask Stark?” Loki asked.

“Yes.”

“Why don’t you do it? Why play the ‘can you do this for me’ game?” Loki was taunting him. Steve knew this was a stupid situation but desperate times and all that. 

“Because he can’t stand to have a conversation with me that’s not about food,” Steve said. 

Loki chuckled. “Are you certain this isn’t just a flimsy excuse to have Stark over at your house?”

Steve flushed bright red and gritted his teeth. “Tony is one of the smartest kids in school and I want the best for my sister. If that means that you have to ask him then that’s what it takes. If he says no I’ll find someone else myself.” 

There was something in Steve’s demeanor that Loki found amusing because he began to laugh. “Stand down, little soldier. It’s just a study date, you’re not trying to stand down a god.”

“It’s not a study date,” Steve muttered. “It’s tutoring.”

“Fine, ‘tutoring’ then.” Loki smirked and ruffled Steve’s hair. “I’ll do it.”

“Thanks,” Steve said, very grateful.

Loki’s lips twitched. “Don’t thank me yet.”

*****

Monday Afternoon

Tony took a sip of his perfectly made mocha and raised his eyebrow. “Really? Steve wants me over at his house?”

“To tutor his sister,” Loki explained for what felt like the fifth time. 

“At his house?”

“Yes.”

“Is he making snacks?”

Loki glared at him. “That did not come up in conversation.”

“Ah,” Tony said. He crossed his legs, his foot bouncing with nervous energy.

It was after school and the two of them were in the park having a “powwow” as Tony liked to call them. At the beginning of their friendship the conversations had mostly revolved around school, future plans, Loki’s issues with his refrigerator salesman father and Tony’s issues with his father, the great industrialist. Now conversations seemed to revolve around Thor, Steve, college admissions, Steve, cars, Steve and more Steve. Loki wasn’t always certain this was an improvement. 

“Right, so should I go with the old jealousy ploy or—“

“The what?” Loki asked.

Tony rolled his eyes. “You know, I hit on Steve’s sister and make him jealous and he’ll declare his love for me—“ 

“Tony, don’t be an idiot. How often does that even work in movies, let alone real life?” Loki asked.

The junior had to think about it. “Um, never?”

“Right, normally I’d tell you to just be yourself but I’m afraid that will end in unmitigated disaster,” Loki said.

“Ha ha.” Tony scoffed, “Fine, what’s your advice then?”

“If you want to impress him then help his sister.” The suggestion was simple and one that Loki knew that Tony could follow. “If you’re successful then Steve will be grateful and think you’re a good person and not just the creep who’s stalking him.”

Tony scowled, taking offensive to the last statement. Loki didn’t care; he only wanted Tony to succeed, despite his foolishness. “I’m going to have to brush up on my basics,” Tony muttered. 

“Good,” Loki said. “Perhaps you should do it during lunch?”

“Why lunch?” Tony asked, suddenly suspicious.

“Let Steve see that you are taking the task seriously,” Loki said.

Tony considered it. “That means I shouldn’t take his lunch anymore, doesn’t it?”

“You shouldn’t have done it in the first place,” Loki pointed out.

“But it smelled so good and then it tasted as good as it smelled,” Tony said. Lost in his memories of food, he didn’t realize he was still talking, “So I kept taking it day after day. After a while I started pretending that he was making lunch just for me.”

There was an awkward silence as both youths processed what Tony had just said. 

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” Loki said.

“Fair enough,” Tony agreed, cheeks tinged pink.

*****

For the next several days, Tony did as Loki suggested, studying at lunch with his friends rather than harassing Steve.

The first day had been the hardest, but when Tony glanced up and saw Steve watching him with a tiny smile of approval, his heart nearly stopped beating. By the time Friday night had come, Tony had studied so much that he thought he should get a Nobel Prize in Physics just for existing. 

Finally it was Saturday and halla-freaking-lujah, he was going to Steve’s house. Tony spent way too much time that morning getting ready, trying to get his appearance just right. He wanted to look good but not too put together. He settled on a good pair of jeans and a red plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up. A gray t-shirt peeked out from underneath, allowing just enough casual cool to make it work.

Of course, all of Tony’s careful affectation went out the window the second Steve opened the door. Dressed in a simple muscle hugging white tee and loose jeans, Steve looked so gorgeous Tony could only stand there and drool.

“Hi, Tony thanks for coming,” Steve said. He pushed the door open further, motioning for Tony to come inside. “Natasha’s in the living room, I’m just finishing making lunch.”

It was the promise of lunch that got Tony’s feet moving. As he entered, he took a brief look around. The house was pleasant and warm, very much a family home. It also seemed very quiet. “Is Mr. Fury home?” Tony asked.

Steve sighed, “No, he had to go to work for a while.” 

“Poor Steve doesn’t approve of our father’s long hours,” a new voice chipped in. Tony turned his head to the sound.

Sitting on the living room couch was a gorgeous college-aged redhead with legs that went on for miles. If Tony weren’t quite so infatuated with Steve he’d have been all over her. “Natasha, I presume?” Tony asked, reaching out a hand.

Natasha took it, her skin smooth and warm. “And you must be Tony.”

“Guilty as charged,” he took a seat on the couch near Natasha. “So do you approve of your Dad’s long hours?”

“No, I’m just more subtle about it.” She leaned back against the seat cushion and jerked her head towards Steve. “My poor baby brother wears his heart on his sleeve so I have to be cool to compensate. If we were both too confrontational he wouldn’t listen. Usually between the two of us we can keep father from getting too exhausted.” 

“Too bad it didn’t work today,” Steve said. He set down a tray with sandwiches and sodas on the coffee table. They were hot and smelled delicious. Tony could see it was some sort of ham on a compressed baguette. 

Steve plopped down on a chair next to the couch, much to Tony’s disappointment. There was more than enough room, especially right next to him. Tony wouldn’t have minded having the hunky blond teen sitting right next to him looking so edible in that tight white shirt that it would have been difficult to not touch him inappropriately.

Maybe it was better that Steve had decided to sit somewhere else.

Tony took a bite of sandwich and moaned in appreciation. It was not just a ham and cheese but a full-fledged cubano with just a hint of spice. It was so delicious he could cry and Steve had made it just for him. 

“Oh my god, this is amazing,” he murmured around a mouthful of bread and pork.

Steve flushed a little, squirming in his seat. “Thanks.”

“You will make someone the perfect little housewife someday,” Natasha teased, her eyes filled with mischief. 

Now Steve was scowling and it was just too adorable. 

“Can’t you just see it?” Natasha continued, enjoying her sandwich and her wit. “Little Stevie bent over a hot stove, wearing an apron?”

Tony could imagine it all too easily, but in his fantasy the apron was the only thing Steve was wearing. Something of Tony’s lewd imaginings must have shown on his face because Steve was looking at him with concern.

“Are you—“

Suddenly, a burst of music interrupted the train of thought. It took a moment for Tony to realize that the sound was coming from his bag. 

“Oh, kiss me. Flick your cigarette and kiss me.”

Was that his phone? 

”Kiss me where your eye won’t meet me.”

Oh god, this song. 

”Meet me where your mind won’t kiss me.”

Tony scrambled through his bag, the breathy desperation of Franz Ferdinand broadcasting the feelings of his rapidly beating heart. 

“You know, you know, that yes I love, I mean I’d love to get to know you.

“Hello?” Tony asked, picking up the phone. He glanced over at Steve and the teen’s eyes were wide and he was flushing bright red. What was that about?

“How’s the study date going?” Loki asked on the other end of the line. 

Tony was going to kill him. 

“I’m going to go in the other room,” Steve muttered, taking the rest of his sandwich with him and fleeing like he was being chased. Natasha watched him leave with a startled expression. 

Tony was really going to kill Loki.

“Excuse me a minute,” he told Natasha and scurried into the kitchen, hoping he wouldn’t be overheard. 

“You changed my ringtone,” Tony hissed with much more violence than such an accusation warranted.

“Possibly,” Loki said, sounding much too coy, “Didn’t you like it?”

Dead, Loki was so dead after this. “Steve practically ran screaming from the room.”

“Really?” Tony could hear Loki raising his eyebrow. “What were you doing to that poor boy? I doubt Franz Ferdinand usually causes that reaction.”

“I wasn’t doing anything!” Okay, so Tony may have been making total pervert eyes at Steve but that was beside the point. It was all Loki’s fault that Steve had run away and now he had no reason to be here.

Tony glanced back over at the living room where Natasha was doing her best to ignore him. Oh right, he was supposed to be helping her with physics. Help he was giving at Steve’s request; Steve, who was trusting Tony to follow through. Not to mention Natasha who had swallowed her pride to even ask for said help.

Tony gritted his teeth. The situation sucked but never let it be said that Tony Stark backed down from anything. “Look, we’re having words later but right now I’ve got some tutoring to do.” Tony hung up his phone with a sigh. He put it away and spread a fake grin on his face. Show time.

“So Nat, where do we start?”

****  
Steve had absolutely no idea why he had fled the room like a teenaged girl. Tony had been looking at him with that odd expression and then the song—

Something had just felt a little too intimate about the whole thing and Steve just couldn’t handle it. So he had run away. Brilliant, he was just brilliant. 

Steve sat in his bedroom uncertain about his next move. He couldn’t just go back out there and pretend that nothing had happened but hiding in his room didn’t seem particularly mature. 

Well, he did have some homework to do and he had been planning on working out later anyway—

Steve opened his backpack and took out his books. He would just do his required reading and lift some weights. Exercise always made him feel better and maybe when he was done he’d have an idea of what to do.

****

An hour later and Tony felt like the most awesome tutor in the world. Natasha was scary smart, she grasped concepts very quickly and, to be honest, she wouldn’t even need Tony’s help if her teacher had explained the math better.

Now that studying was going well, other concerns were making themselves known. “Where's the bathroom?” Tony asked.

“Down the hall, second door to the left,” Natasha told him, pointing the way without looking up from her paper. Her face was furrowed with concentration. She was deep in the physics zone.

After Tony relieved himself of his pressing issue, he made his way back down the hallway. As he passed by a partially open door, he was distracted by the sound of grunting. Curious, he peered inside.

Steve was lifting a dumbbell, his biceps flexing impressively as he curled his arm up and down. He wasn’t sweating yet, but it was still an exertion if his grunts were any indication. He was focused on the physicality of the weight, on the Zen of movement. Steve was in his own little world and nothing could distract him.

Tony felt like an intruder. He was surprised at the guilt that gnawed at his conscience. For the first time, he understood what his friends had been trying to say. He was not Steve’s boyfriend, he wasn’t a friend, heck he was barely an acquaintance. He had no claim on Steve, no right to him and he had no business watching Steve in private without his permission.

If Tony would just say something he could be sharing a moment with Steve rather than just stealing it. He would be talking, joking and maybe even taking a few kisses instead of lurking in a doorway like a creep. All it would take was a few little words and a spot of courage to actually be with Steve, to get the relationship he always wanted.

In short, Tony Stark was a coward and he was sick of it. 

“Stop ogling my baby brother,” Natasha hissed in his ear.

Tony jumped, nearly smacking her in the face with his flailing arm. He shut the door as quietly as possible. “I’m not ogling,” he whispered. He was staring while woolgathering; there was a significant difference.

“Whatever it was, I’m not sure I like it,” she said.

“I wasn’t too impressed with myself either,” Tony admitted.

Natasha’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve heard things about you, Tony Stark.”

That was a surprise to Tony.

“And I’m not sure you’re good enough for my brother.”

That not so much. Tony straightened his shirt, trying to look unconcerned. “You know, that is up to Steve to decide.”

Natasha’s lip curved into an expression not unlike a smile. “Perhaps we should continue with the lesson.”

Tony couldn’t help feeling that he had won some minor victory. “Right.”

****  
It was amazing what a little exercise and a shower could do for one’s outlook. Steve toweled off his hair and ran a comb through it. It didn’t matter that he had acted like a moron almost two hours ago. Tony probably didn’t even care about Steve’s unusual behavior and wasn’t even fazed by it.

That last thought was not as reassuring as it was supposed to be. 

Steve threw his clothes on and went to the living room. He might as well check up on Tony and Natasha and see how they were doing.

He was surprised to see Tony and Natasha packing up their things. “Oh, are you two done already?” he asked. Steve wasn’t certain why he was so disappointed.

“Yeah,” Tony said. 

“I’ll just get the—“

“I already paid him,” Natasha said.

“That’s good.” Now Steve felt really useless. 

Tony swung his bag over his shoulder and brushed by Steve, opening the front door. Tony turn to look at him and Steve almost squirmed at the sheer determination in the other teen’s face.

“I’ll see you Monday, Steve.”

“Okay,” Steve said. Why was he the most awkward person ever today?

Then Tony was gone before Steve could say anything else. 

****

It was Monday. Natasha had left to go back to the university late the night before. When Steve had questioned her about the study session all she had said was, “It was fine. I learned what I needed to.” And that was it. Steve should have been satisfied with that answer, but something about that day was nagging at him. Tony had just had the most intense look on his face-- 

“Hi.” 

It was Tony. He was standing next to Steve as he always did at lunch. “Hi,” Steve answered back. Dead silence. Oh, Steve guessed that they were back to the old routine. He held out his Tupperware container, waiting for Tony to take it.

“Actually,” Tony bit at his lower lip. “Can we go somewhere? To talk?”

Steve blinked; this was a change. “Sure.” 

Tony led him out of the cafeteria, past the courtyard to the practice fields. They were empty as everyone else was at lunch or in class. They were completely alone standing behind the bleachers.

Tony looked nervous, sweating beading on his brow. Whatever Tony wanted to talk about must be incredibly difficult for him. Steve vowed to be as supportive as he could.

“The thing is Steve, you’re a nice guy. Almost too nice to be honest and you’re smart and people like you and I--” Tony trailed off, staring at Steve’s face. He let out a shaky breath. “God, you’re pretty.”

Steve blinked in confusion. “What?”

“This isn’t working,” Tony muttered, flushing in humiliation. He clenched his hands and shook his head. “Screw John Hughes,” Tony hissed, fisted Steve’s shirt and dragged him forward into a messy approximation of a kiss. 

Steve’s mouth gaped open in shock and as Tony’s tongue slid past his he shivered.

Oh. Oh. This explained a lot.

Tony pulled back panting, his lips spit shiny. “Do you get the message, Steve?” Tony asked. 

Steve’s heart raced in his chest, too fast for him to handle. “I don’t know,” he said. “You might need to explain it some more.”

Tony grinned. They never got around to eating lunch that day. 

The End


End file.
